Members of the Reed-Custer High School and Middle School bands got another chance to show off their skills over the weekend, participating in the 69th Annual Grundy County Corn Festival on Sunday, Oct. 1.

This year’s Marching Comets play “Walking on Sunshine.”

The RCHS musicians have competed in Dwight Harvest Days, where they were Grand Champions, and the Corn Festival so far this year, and will take part this winter in the Custer Park tree lighting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 17, and the Braidwood holiday parade on Saturday, Dec. 2.

A month into the new school year, and there is still much construction activity taking place at the new Reed-Custer Elementary School.

But, district officials said, the site should be complete – except for a few tweaks – by mid-October.

The new two-story school was ready to open for the first day of school in August, however, the district has been unable as of yet to host a community night or have parents or teachers use the parking lots.

On Sept. 20, Superintendent Mark Mitchell gave a progress report on the construction to members of the Board of Education.

Funding public schools has been a hot button issue in Springfield, with arguments over who gets what causing gridlock in the state legislature for much of the past year.

On Sept. 20, Reed-Custer Superintendent Mark Mitchell gave an overview of the new Evidence Based Funding for Student Success Act to members of the School Board. The act was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner on Aug 31.

It’s a plan that Mitchell said could pose some problems for districts throughout the state.

Homeowners planning to update items in and around their properties need to apply to the city for a permit for certain items. But thanks to City Council action this month, the threshold for what kind of work requires that permit has been changed.

On Sept. 12, the council agreed to make a change to Chapter 22 of the city’s code of ordinances dealing with buildings and building regulations, increasing the amount of work homeowners can conduct on their properties without a permit.

The construction along the railroad tracks in Braidwood is complete. But left behind is a bit of confusion.

On Sept. 12, city leaders announced that the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) had wrapped up its work along Routes 53 and 129 and the tracks, opening up the roads and crossings again through town.

But while the completion of the work is welcome news to residents, it came with yet another change for drivers.